A nurse at Shands-Jacksonville Medical Center in Florida was arrested Thursday night and charged with 10 counts of sexual performance by a child and possession of child pornography.
The Duval County Sherriff’s Office said they had been investigating the 35-year-old nurse and father since November when the Florida Attorney General’s CyberCrime Unit recognized that he was visiting and supplying to a Web site that showed “torture, sex, death and fine dining.”
Investigators said that the man’s computer had hundreds of thousands of pornographic material on it. Videos have also been recovered from the man’s computer, allegedly depicting children as young as 8 years old.
The man remains in jail on a $500,003 bond.
The Florida statute sexual performance by a child is more commonly known as child pornography. Any material featuring a minor participating in a sexual act is a serious crime that carries very harsh penalties. The State must prove that the man in question promoted the pornographic material in question, it featured children under the age of 18 and that he was aware that the pornographic material showcased children in compromising situations.
The penalties for a conviction of sexual performance by a minor are 15 years in prison and mandatory registration as a sexual offender or predator if this is a first time offense. If a defendant has had prior convictions of a child pornography offense or there was more than one victim highlighted in the possessed material, he or she could face a mandatory sentence of 25 years in prison with no chance of parole. According to Florida’s Unit of Prosecution Law, if you take several photos of the same pornographic material then each image counts as a separate offense and can be prosecuted accordingly.
If you have been charged with possession of child pornography or sexual performance by a child in Florida, contact the Florida Sex Crimes Defense Attorneys online or call 866-608-5529.